High-pressure discharge lamps are used in combination with reflectors for various purposes. High-pressure discharge lamps have the substantial advantage that their light output per watt input, that is, their luminous conversion efficiency is substantially higher than that of incandescent lamps. Typically, the reflector is closed off at its light emitting end by a glass or similar lens or light directing element. High-pressure discharge lamps require an auxiliary circuit unit in order to operate such lamps efficiently and under the severe conditions of automotive use. The lamp must ignite to provide light regardless of the prior ignition or light emitting history; in other words, the lamp must ignite promptly upon being connected to an electrical power source regardless of ambient temperature conditions - subfreezing cold or high outside temperatures-and regardless of whether the lamp has just been operated for an extended period of time, extinguished, and should be re-ignited, so that the internal components of the lamp are still hot. Ignition of the lamp, thus, must be reliably insured at any time. Electronic auxiliary circuits have been particularly suitable, operating the lamp with high-frequency power. Ignition voltages up to about 25 kV are necessary in order to permit the lamp to re-ignite after it has just been operated, that is, to re-ignite a "hot" lamp. To obtain such high voltages, it has previously been proposed to connect the ignition high-voltage pulse to the lamp by a high-voltage insulated cable. The insulation of such a high-voltage insulated cable is expensive and requires special provisions. In spite of substantial care and overdesign of high-voltage cables, it is still difficult, particularly under the rough operating conditions to which automotive vehicles are subjected, to provide for effective elimination of arc-over or flash-over to portions or elements of the vehicle chassis or frame; it is, also, particularly difficult to exclude all environmental effects on the cable, due for example to ambient humidity, moisture, corrosive effects due to air pollution, road salt and the like, and other environmental influences affecting the insulation efficiency of the cable.